Medical Students In Greece Research Articles

Knowledge and attitudes of medical students about clinical aspects of congenital cytomegalovirus infection in newborns: A nationwide cross-sectional study in Greece.

Cytomegalovirus (CMV) is the most frequent cause of congenital infection worldwide causing severe morbidity in newborns, infants, and children. Despite the clinical importance of congenital CMV (cCMV) infection, studies conducted so far indicate that there is limited awareness in the medical community in the field. The aim of this study was to assess Greek medical students' knowledge on cCMV infection. We performed a questionnaire-based nationwide cross-sectional study. A convenience sample of medical students from seven medical schools was enrolled. Of the 562 respondents, 54,8% considered themselves undereducated on cCMV infection. However, almost half of the participants could correctly recognize some basic principles of cCMV infection including ways of transmission, diagnosis and treatment, while there were aspects of cCMV infection with knowledge deficit. The year of study had a positive impact on the level of knowledge with students of higher years of study being of more sufficient education on the specific topic. Overall, our study indicates a discrepancy between self-reported awareness and the level of knowledge among medical students in Greece. Further educational opportunities about cCMV should be offered, particularly in areas of the curriculum involving the care of women and children. Establishing medical students' solid background on the disease burden and educating them about preventative strategies for at-risk populations, should be the main pillars of such efforts in order to promote confidence in managing these cases in their future professional careers.

Mental illness through the perspective of undergraduate medical students in Greece: a cross-sectional study at Aristotle University of Thessaloniki.

Numerous studies reveal that mental health-related stigma, stereotypes, and prejudices negatively affect the patients, jeopardizing their health, prognosis, and social opportunities. Healthcare professionals, who are in the first line of combating mental disease, are expected to play a significant role in drastically changing discriminatory and stigmatizing attitudes toward psychiatric patients and in diminishing the existing healthcare and social disparities. In this study, we aimed to explore and highlight the views of Greek medical students-that is of the future physicians-toward mental illness and people suffering from it. It is a cross-sectional, observational study, in which 324 undergraduate students from the most populous Greek medical school of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, participated online, during the spring semester of 2022. The tools used were the Opinions about Mental Illness Scale (OMI) that assesses one's viewpoints about mental illness, the Social Distance Scale (SDS) that captures the desired degree of social distancing from patients with mental disorders, and the Level of Contact Report (LCR-12) that estimates the level of familiarity with them. Participants displayed rather positive attitudes regarding the etiology of mental illness, social integration, and discrimination toward psychiatric patients [as evaluated with the respective OMI subscales; Etiology mean score (μ):8.87 ± 4.68, Social Integration (μ):17.79 ± 5.42, Social Discrimination (μ):13.54 ± 11.17], and more clearly favorable opinions concerning the need for social provision or the enactment of restrictive measures [as expressed with the relative OMI subscales; Social Care (μ):22.74 ± 4.56, Social Restriction (μ):13.27 ± 8.98], while claiming to be quite familiar with mental disorders and individuals experiencing them (as assessed with LCR; μ: 8.71 ± 2.16), and relatively willing to interact with them (as measured with SDS; μ:8.95 ± 4.23). Degree of familiarity with mental illness was directly proportional to the desire for contact with patients living with it, while the higher both were, the more improved most of the aforementioned OMI sectors were found to be. Female sex, clinical medical education, previous clinical psychiatric training, and living with or being a person with a mental disorder were the factors that defined a statistically refined profile in many of the aspects above. Our findings are in accordance with many prior and recent studies, while showing improved opinions compared to those of previous research in Greek student and healthcare population. They are calling for vigilance, rather than complacency, as well as educational and social interventions, in order to enable current and future healthcare professionals to perform their function to its fullest extent. Implications of our results and further research suggestions are included.

Reliability of Greek version of the Toronto empathy questionnaire in medical students and associations with sociodemographic and lifestyle factors

BackgroundEmpathy is an important key driver of any therapeutic relationship. It is beneficial for both physicians and patients. Enhancing physician’s empathy should be an important goal of medical education. As there was a literature gap regarding the topic of empathy among medical students in Greece, this study aimed to contribute to filling this gap.MethodsA cross-sectional study was conducted. A socio-demographic questionnaire and the 52-item Greek version of the Toronto composite empathy scale (TCES) for measuring the cognitive and emotional aspects of empathy in both personal and professional life was administered to all the medical students in the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, in Greece. Descriptive statistics were displayed for demographics. The associations of the variables were quantified by Chi-2 independence tests and Pearson’s Correlation Coefficient. The reliability and validity of the questionnaire was determined by Cronbach’s α, Hotelling's T-Squared Test, and Pearson correlation. Paired and Independent Sample T-Tests and One-way ANOVAs indicated statistically significant mean differences among the variables or subgroups of the variables.ResultsThe 52‐item TCES, 26 for the personal (Per) setting and another 26 for professional (Pro) life, equally divided into cognitive (Cog) and emotional (Emo) empathy in each case. The overall reliability of the TCES questionnaire was found to be high (Cronbach's α = 0.895, significant positive correlations between the subscales). The mean total score of empathy showed that students had a moderately high empathy. Further, there was a statistically significant difference in means between the Per-Cog and Per-Emo settings (p < 0.001), the Pro-Cog and Pro-Emo (p < 0.001), the Per-Cog and Pro-Cog (p = 0.004), and the Per-Emo and Pro-Emo (p < 0.001). Females had significantly higher empathy scores (mean score 208.04) than males (192.5) on the Per-Cog, Per-Emo and Pro-Emo subscales. Furthermore, a positive correlation was found between empathy and factors such as love for animals, interest in medical ethics, belief in God, having an ill person in the family, class year or carrier intention.ConclusionsThe TCES is applicable to medical students. For the most part our findings were consistent with previous literature. However, we identified some nuances that might draw researchers’ attention. The results of this study may contribute to plan interventions in the curriculum to enhance empathy in the medical students.

Sleep Quality and Mental Health of Medical Students in Greece During the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Background-Aim: Medical students have been greatly affected by the COVID-19 pandemic due to their educational program, which comprises theoretical knowledge and also clinical duties, making them vulnerable to viral exposures and possibly affecting their everyday life. The aim of this study was to explore changes in sleep and mental health parameters among medical students in Greece during the second year of the pandemic.Methods: This cross-sectional study comprised students of all medical schools in Greece (n = 7), using an anonymous online survey. Participants completed the following questionnaires: Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), Athens Insomnia Scale (AIS), Fatigue Severity Scale (FSS), General Anxiety Disorder-7 (GAD-7), Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9). Statistical analysis was conducted with the use of SPSS v.26 (IBM SPSS, Armonk NY, USA).Results: Out of the 562 received responses, 559 met the inclusion criteria. The largest proportion of the respondents came from 4th-year (27.8%) and the majority of the sample were females (69.8%). Only 5.9% of the participants reported having been infected by SARS-COV-2. Most of the respondents experienced insomnia (65.9%, mean AIS score: 7.59 ± 4.24), poor sleep quality (52.4%, mean PSQI score: 6.6 ± 3.25) and increased fatigue (48.5%, mean 35.82 ± 11.74). Moderate to severe symptoms of anxiety (mean 9.04 ± 5.66) and depression (mean 9.36 ± 6.15) were noted. Suicidal ideation was found in 16.7% of the sample, while use of sleeping pills in the previous month was reported by 8.8% (n = 47). Further analysis revealed independent associations between sleep and mental health parameters. Higher AIS score was associated with greater FSS score; higher PSQI scores with higher GAD-7 and PHQ-9 scores. Additionally, female students were found to be significantly more affected than males by the COVID-19 pandemic, displaying higher levels of insomnia, sleep disturbances, anxiety and depression. In addition, those with a history of COVID-19 infection or in close proximity with a positive case reported significantly more significant post-traumatic symptoms in IES-COVID-19 questionnaire.Conclusions: In the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic, prevalence of sleep and mental health disorders among Greek medical students is significant, highlighting the need for better surveillance of students' wellbeing and subsequent counseling, with special focus on female students and other affected groups.

The emotional burden of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic on medical students in Greece.

Everyday human life has recently been affected worldwide by the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. Medical students were found to be a vulnerable population, facing many challenges with the temporary suspension of clinical activities, as well as their confrontation with violent changes in their chosen profession. The purpose of the present study is to record and detect possible signs of emotional burden on the psychological profile of northern Greek medical students in the second wave of the European pandemic at the hitherto culmination point. 342 medical students completed a questionnaire investigating some very rough and easily self-reported affective psychiatric symptoms and their responses were statistically evaluated. The results disclosed experienced emotional burden among medical students with a general exacerbation of various non-specific affective symptoms, but a decrease in suicidal ideation and auto-destructiveness was nevertheless observed. On the contrary, a moderate increase in wishes for illness was noted among medical students. Findings of emotional burden were disclosed among medical students with a general worsening of various non-specific affective symptoms in turn connoting feelings of discomfort in adapting to the multiple constraints and fear of insecurity for the newly-formed reality created by the outbreak of the new coronavirus pandemic.

Medical students’ training needs and attitudes on substance abuse: implications for medical education in Greece

The present study is concerned with the outcomes from a training programme on addiction counselling addressed to medical students in Greece. The programme is the result of a collaborative curriculum development between KETHEA, a drug treatment organisation for heroin addicts, and HeLMSIC, a human rights organisation of medical students in Greece. The programme was developed as a response to the absence of relevant courses within the medical schools in this country. The study presents the local context in relation to heroin use, access to treatment and training curricula. The study also presents a small-scale research conducted on medical students’ beliefs and attitudes about their understanding about drug use. Research findings suggest that actions towards developing a holistic learning framework comprising core elements about drug use treatment and recovery are important for a better response to the needs of drug users and heroin addicts in Greece.

Cross-sectional study on awareness and knowledge of torture investigation and documentation among Greek doctors and senior medical students.

Doctors in Greece face the possibility of encountering a person that has suffered torture, especially since the high rates of refugees' and migrants' inflows that took place over the last years. In order to assess the awareness and the knowledge of doctors and senior medical students in Greece regarding a manual on effective investigation and documentation of torture such as Istanbul Protocol (official United Nation document since 1999), a cross-sectional study was conducted using a structured anonymous questionnaire. The sample was doctors practicing in public hospitals in Greece, doctors volunteering at a non-governmental organization (NGO) and undergraduate medical students in their final year of studies in the Medical School of National and Kapodistrian University of Athens. The data were analyzed using IBM SPSS version 23, using descriptive statistics and statistical significance tests.In a total of 289 participants, the mean total score of Istanbul Protocol knowledge was 4.43 ± 1.104 (the maximum possible score was 10) and the mean total score of Istanbul Protocol awareness was 2.04 ± 1.521 (the maximum possible score was 10). The most important conclusion was that among doctors and senior medical students, there seem to be knowledge, awareness, and information deficit about Istanbul Protocol and several issues relating to torture. The overall research outcome highlights the need for the development of a relevant informative/educational program, in order to cover the corresponding existing needs of the population of doctors in Greece.

Nonmedical Use of Prescription Medications Among Medical Students in Greece: Prevalence of and Motivation for Use

ABSTRACTBackground: Non-medical use of prescription medications has risen to unprecedented levels over the past decade worldwide; however, studies assessing misuse across medical students are sparse. Objectives: The purpose of this study was to1) estimate the lifetime and the past-year prevalence of non-medical use of prescription medications among medical students in Greece 2) identify the motivation for use. Methods: 591 medical students completed an anonymous, self-administered, web-based survey assessing lifetime and past-year prevalence of non-medical use of four classes of prescription drugs (opioid painkillers, tranquillizers, sleeping and stimulant medications). According to the motivation to use the responders were classified into three subtypes (selftreatment, recreational, and mixed). Results: The prevalence of lifetime use was 10.7% for at least one of the four prescription drug classes and 9% of the respondents reported lifetime misuse of multiple categories of prescription drugs. The past-year prevalence was approximately 7.7% for at least one of the four prescription drug classes, while the majority misused the drugs “1-2 times per year”. Senior students used tranquilizers more than junior students. Self-treatment and mixed subtypes of tranquillizers misuse was more prevalent among women than men while the self-treatment subtype was the most prevalent subtype in all the four drug classes. Conclusions: This is the first study investigating non-medical use of prescription medications among Greek medical students and indicates a high prevalence of misuse of some categories of prescription drugs, mostly for self-treatment purposes.

Interactions Between Pharmaceutical Companies and Medical Students In Greece

International studies suggest that, besides medical doctors, medical students are exposed to pharmaceutical company marketing and their interactions with industry representatives are augmenting throughout the years of medical school. The aim of our study was to assess, for the first-time in Greece, the interactions between pharmaceutical companies and medical students. A sample of undergraduate medical students completed an anonymous, self-administered, web-based survey. The questions investigated the interaction between the students and the companies asking about gifts and other benefits received. The answers offered were binomial variables “yes” or “no”. The final sample consisted of 412 students (52.7% women, 47.3% men, mean age 22 years) and the overall response rate was 58.9%. Most of the responders (52.2%) were clinical level students. The commonest types of accepted benefits, especially among clinical level students, were low cost non-educational gifts, books, lunch, as well as attending seminars or educational events provided by pharmaceutical companies. 67.4% of the clinical level students had received a low cost non-educational gift from a company, 59.1% had attended a seminar or educational event provided by a company, 33% had received a lunch, 20% a book and 17.2% had attended a conference with the registration fee paid by a company. Most of the students strongly believed that the lectures sponsored by companies are not educational and are biased in favor of the company’s product. However, 47.6% of them stated that companies’ promotional material is useful to learn about new medications. Our study suggests that medical students in Greece are remarkably exposed to the pharmaceutical industry marketing. Interventions are needed to prepare students to be able to manage and evaluate these interactions in a critical way.

Exposure to the drug company marketing in Greece: Interactions and attitudes in a non-regulated environment for medical students.

BackgroundMedical students are targeted by the pharmaceutical industry and are exposed to their marketing strategies even in the preclinical years of study. The marketing strategies used by pharmaceutical companies with physicians are also applied to students, affecting their future prescribing behaviour, and include low-cost non-educational gifts, travel expenses and conferences registration fees. In Greece, there are no national or institutional regulations and guidelines concerning drug company–medical student interactions. This study is the first time this estimate has been made in Greece and assessed a) the interactions between pharmaceutical companies and medical students, and b) students' attitudes towards pharmaceutical marketing.MethodsA sampling of undergraduate medical students completed an anonymous, self-administered, web-based survey. The first part of the survey investigated the interaction between the students and pharmaceutical companies; the possible answers were the binomial variables ‘yes’ or ‘no’. The second part assessed the students' opinions of pharmaceutical company marketing and the answer options were ‘agree’, ‘don't know/don't answer’ and ‘disagree’.ResultsThe survey was completed by 412 undergraduate medical students (mean age 22 ± 2.2 years, 52.7% were women); the overall response rate was 58.9%. Although the majority did not consider accepting gifts and meals from drug companies as ethical, most of them (59%) had accepted meals and low-cost non-educational gifts, especially the clinical-level students. Further, 52,6% of the students did not believe that accepting gifts from pharmaceutical companies would affect their own prescription behaviour, whereas surprisingly they held the opposite opinion of their classmates. The vast majority (85.9%) agreed that sponsored lectures were biased in favour of a company's products; however, 47.6% agreed that promotional material is useful for learning about new medications and 34.5% believed that medical schools should allow drug company representatives to interact with students.ConclusionOur results suggest that medical students in Greece are notably exposed to pharmaceutical industry marketing and their conflicting answers demonstrate that they are inadequately prepared for this interaction. Interventions are needed so that students are prepared and able to manage these interactions critically.

Substance use among medical students in Greece

Substance use among medical students in Greece

Substance Use Among Medical Students in Greece

Introduction Limited research exists worldwide on medical students’ substance use patterns including alcohol and marijuana use. Aim The aim of the study was to examine the prevalence of substance use, including marijuana, alcohol and other illicit substances (i.e. cocaine, hallucinogens and ecstasy) in a sample of medical students in Greece. Methods 655 students from the School of Medicine of Thessaloniki completed an anonymous, web-based survey including the CAGE questionnaire for alcohol abuse. Students were asked to report the frequency (lifetime, past year, past month) and the motive of the use. Results 72% percent of the students reported having never used any illegal substance and 21% reported marijuana use at least once in their lifetime. 20.9 % were nicotine smokers. No gender difference regarding marijuana use was observed. Marijuana users underestimated the risk of marijuana use on their health compared to non users. Although the relative mean Cage scores are low indicating a lack of severe alcohol related problems in our sample, there is a significantly higher mean CAGE score in students who use marijuana. The use of other illicit substances was rare (3% used inhalers, 2.3 % cocaine, 2.3% ecstasy, 2% ketamine, 1.8% amphetamines and 1.7% mephedrone). However, the use of marijuana was significantly correlated with use of cocaine, LSD, ecstasy, ketamine, amphetamine and mephedrone. Conclusions The findings represent initial data on the prevalence of substance use among Greek medical students. Nationwide studies are needed further investigating the prevalence, the motivation and the impact of this risky behaviour among this population.

General Practice as a career choice among undergraduate medical students in Greece

BackgroundAlthough General Practice (GP) was recognized as a medical specialty in Greece in 1986, the number of GPs is insufficient to cover needs and only few medical graduates choose GP as a career option. In the present study we investigated the profile of medical students in terms of their decisions regarding specialization and the possible association of career choices different from GP with the status of undergraduate training regarding GP.MethodsThe sample consisted of final year students in the Medical School of the University of Athens, Greece. Students filled in a self-reported questionnaire focusing on medical specialization, and GP in particular.ResultsResponse rate was 82.5% with 1021 questionnaires collected, out of 1237 eligible medical students. Only 44 out of the 1021 (4.3%) respondents stated that GP is -or could be- among their choices for specialty. The most popular medical specialty was General Surgery (10.9%), followed by Cardiology (9.6%), Endocrinology (8.7%) and Obstetrics-Gynaecology (8.3%). The most common criterion for choosing GP was the guaranteed employment on completion of the residency (54.6%) while a 56.6% of total respondents were positive to the introduction of GP/FM as a curriculum course during University studies.ConclusionDespite the great needs, GP specialty is currently not a career option among undergraduate students of the greater Medical University in Greece and is still held in low esteem. A university department responsible for undergraduate teaching, promotion and research in GP (where not available) is essential; the status of undergraduate training in general practice/family medicine seems to be one of the most important factors that influence physician career choices regarding primary care specialties.

Greek medical students’ career choices indicate strong tendency towards specialization and training abroad

The aim of the study was to investigate the career choices, location preferences and criteria among medical students in Greece. We applied a questionnaire-based analysis using a sample of 591 students of four out of seven Greek Medical Schools. The sample included students of all academic years. The vast majority of students wish to specialize (97.6%), while general practice gathered a very low percentage (1.7%). The scientific challenge (61.4%) and interaction with patients (60.6%) seem to be the major influencing factors for most of the students’ specialty preferences, whilst less common variables influencing career choice are the high demand/supply ratio for certain health services (40.4%), the income potential (31.4%), the active tempo (26.2%) and prestige (15%). 70.3% of those asked consider the possibility of specializing abroad. The low concern of Greek medical students for general practice reveals today's drastic deficiency in Greek primary health care. Such a situation will escalate, unless targeted strategies to produce more general practitioners are adopted. Furthermore, the results reflect a lower education and organizing level urging students to specialize abroad. The National Health System (NHS) should be reformed towards a rationalistic distribution of the medical specialties and medical workforce.

Nutrient intake and food consumption among medical students in Greece assessed during a Clinical Nutrition course

The objective of this study was to determine nutrient intake and food consumption patterns among medical students at the University of Crete, Greece. As part of the Clinical Nutrition course from 1989 to 2001, a total of 951 third-year medical students (500 male, 451 female) aged 22±2 years underwent dietary interview, during which individual 24-h dietary recalls were taken. The students also completed a questionnaire on smoking habits, and anthropometric measurements were performed. The Mann–Whitney test was applied to assess differences in nutrient and food group intake between lower and higher fat eaters. Analysis of covariance was used to study relationships between nutrient intakes and tobacco use, adjusting for gender, age, and body mass index. The mean daily energy intake was 2493 kcal (10437 kJ) for males and 1675 kcal (7012 kJ) for females. The contribution of total fat to energy intake was 40% in each gender. Lower fat eaters (≤34.3% of total energy) had higher intakes of fiber (P<0.01), vitamin C (P<0.01) and fruits (P<0.05), and a lower consumption of red meat (P<0.01) than students in the upper fat quartile (≥46.0% of total energy). Smokers had higher intakes of energy (P<0.05) and saturated fatty acids (P<0.01), and lower intakes of fiber (P<0.001), folate (P<0.05) and vitamin C (P<0.001) than non-smokers/ex-smokers. Our results indicate a need for Greek medical students to improve their dietary and health habits. Dietary assessment could be used to enhance nutrition education in medical schools.

Cigarette smoking, alcohol consumption, and serum lipid profile among medical students in Greece.

The lack of data regarding health habits of medical students in Greece prompted a cross-sectional study to assess tobacco use, alcohol consumption and serum lipoprotein levels among students in the University of Crete School of Medicine. A self-administered questionnaire on smoking and alcohol consumption was distributed to third-year medical students for twelve consecutive years (1989-2000). A total of 849 students (462 males, 387 females) participated in the survey. Biochemical measurements were taken and multi-variant analysis of the data was performed. The prevalence of smoking among males and females was 33.2% (N = 150) and 28.4% (N = 108), respectively (mean cigarette consumption 13/day). As many as 349 males (77.2%) and 220 females (58.0%) reported consuming alcohol on a regular basis. The prevalence of low HDL-cholesterol (< 0.9 mmol/l) was 14.5% in males and 5.1% in females, and of high LDL-cholesterol levels (> 4.1 mmol/l) in 11.1% of male and 5.5% of female participants. Smoking was related to higher triglyceride (p = 0.032), and lower HDL-cholesterol (p = 0.037) serum levels. Total cholesterol, LDL-cholesterol, and the TC/HDL-cholesterol ratio were strongly related with the level of smoking (p = 0.006, p = 0.008, and p = 0.006 respectively). The results document a high prevalence of smoking among physicians-to-be in Greece. Tobacco use was strongly associated with a lipid profile predisposing to increased risk for cardiovascular disease. Health promotion programmes should therefore be instituted not only during the first years of medical studies, but rather at a much earlier stage in life.

No debt for medical students in Greece.

Medical education in Greece is government-funded by constitution. Tuition fees are therefore not payable by students. This investigation aims to identify the sources of income of medical students in Greece. This is a questionnaire-based analysis of a sample of 488 students who were asked to state their sources of income. Mean contributions to total student income are parental financial support (93.2%), part-time employment (2.4%), scholarships (2.5%) and other sources including loans (1.9%). The income of medical students in Greece is mostly dependent on parental contributions. Other sources do not represent popular options. This situation differs to that in other countries, where loans make significant contributions to the total income of medical students.